But a significant proportion of people relish fish and other sea food delicacies like prawns, crabs and lobsters as these are found in plenty in the vast coastline of the state. Oriya food is spicy and has less calorific value as it is cooked with little or no oil. Curd and coconut milk find great use in the diet of the people. People are also very much fond of sweets and many of the recipes are popular all over the country. 'Pancha-phutana' a magic mix of cumin, mustard, fennel, fenugreek and kala zeera is used for tempering vegetables and dals.

What is rich and plentiful is the diverse selection of seafood, with crabs and lobsters steeped in the ever present ingredients of - Orissan cuisine- curd (yoghurt) and coconut milk. The curd here is rich and creamy and gives the succulent flesh an additional flavour. It is not only the seafood which is traditionally cooked in curd and coconut milk but also yams, brinjals and pumpkins are liberally used in curd with mustard seeds giving the whole preparation that extra zing.

Small cakes, or 'pithas' which are both sweet and savoury are extremely popular in Orissa. Chhenapodapitha, the caramelised custard-like dessert is popular not only with the locals but also with the tourists.

Another traditional must is the tasting of the 'Mahaprasad' or the sacred food offered as 'Bhog' to Lord Jagannath. Available at the Anand Bazar of the Jagannath Temple, your hotel can help you procure it quite easily. The temple kitchen is believed to be the largest kitchen in the world. Created on a cooking facility which is highly efficient despite its age, 400 'supkars' (cooks) work around 200 hearths daily to feed over 10,000 people.